Rosie Assoulin hadn’t hosted an in-person presentation for her collection in three years, and she took the opportunity to throw a party. On a rooftop in Bushwick, friends, family, and editors drank wine from her label, Vivanterre, and snacked on labneh, hummus, and pita. The clothes were presented in an empty pool, with models standing in the pit and onlookers walking carefully around the perimeter. (It was deep!)
The festivity was warranted—Assoulin is celebrating 10 years in business. She explained that that milestone informed the new collection, but not with specific design choices, more of a mood. She was looking to different art pieces as well, such as Robert Rauschenberg’s landmark work The 1/4 Mile, which took 17 years to complete and stretches to approximately 250 meters. His yearslong experimentation inspired the peppy chevron patterns in Assoulin’s daywear. When she was starting her business, she was making colorful versions of Rorschach ink blots to decorate her son’s room; those became a pattern as well.
Assoulin’s clothes have a directional playfulness to them. Here, there are intriguing shapes like a lamp-like teal shirt worn over a white embellished skirt and equally interesting textiles like the double-faced khaki and blue-striped fabric she used for a coat, trousers, and strapless bodice. Even the quote-unquote simple garments are given a little bit of fairy dust. (See: a classically Rosie white collared shirtdress with rainbow-striped panels in the pleats.) This season is a reminder of why Assoulin’s fans are fans.
